With the ARB Simpson III Rooftop Tent in the driveway I first inspected the packing looking for any external shipping damage and found one corner of the box crushed. After photos of the corner I finished unpacking the tent which I found to be double boxed with the outside box being heavy duty. Even with the external damage the packing protected the tent well and I found no problems.
ARB Simpson III Roftop Tent Boxed
With the tent unpacked I found the stainless steel mounting hardware in a small cloth bag and the rails inside the tent.
Ready to begin the install
Wanting to mount the tent on my M416 military trailer I spent an afternoon constructing a rack. Following ARB’s instructions I cut the cross members down to allow them to be mounted across the rack. The original bolts were not long enough for my rack so a quick trip to the hardware store provided longer ones. Placing the tent on the rack took two people with one on each side. The rack was only about 4 feet off the ground so I can say that lifting the tent onto the roof off a lifted truck is going to be a chore.
Trailer rack ready for tent
The tent mounting system allows the tent to easily be centered on the rack. Some rack systems allow the tent to be mounted directly without the provided rails. With the tent set I tightened the rail mounts.
Tent cross member mounted to rack
Installing the ladder took only a few minutes.
Ladder brackets installed
I opened the tent and marked on the ladder where I needed additional holes for the adjustment stop.
Ladder with my additional stop
After drilling the additional stop holes I opened the tent , lifted the mattress, and finish tightening the tent mounting bolts.
Ladder Bracket bolts
The final part of the installation was to mount the tent cover on the tent platform. The design allows the cover to neatly slide into a groove on the hinge side of the platform. Even though the installation does not call for it ,I am going to use two small sheet metal screws to keep the cover in place.
Tent closed showing Velcro straps
With the cover installed I proceeded to stow the tent, ready to head out for a weekend excursion.
Tent closed and ready to go.
The installation instructions were clear and concise with quality hardware provided. Though I completed most of the installation by myself, a second person was needed to set the tent in place on the rack.
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